Howard's Bakery & Restaurant

My cousin told me this place had a good breakfast buffet, so we stopped in on our way to Kings Dominion to get our day off to a good start (and to make sure we had full stomachs for those roller coasters....yeah, how smart are WE?)  

First of all, it doesn't look like much, and honestly, if it didn't say "Restaurant" on the front of the building, I wouldn't know that's what it is. It reminds me of an old garage of hardware or feed store.....bland gray cement block building, no ornmentation of any kind out front, and right across the street from a junk store/thrift shop/flea market.  Going inside, it still maintained that institutional feel, but at least the staff were friendly.  The place was pretty crowded, so I figured the food MUST be good.  We seated ourselves, and had to wait for the server to clear the table because the place was THAT full, but it was all good.  

We ordered our drinks then helped ourselves to the buffet.  At first glance, it didn't look like much, but they do know how to maximize a limited space.   With biscuits, sausage gravy, bacon, scrambled eggs, french toast, grits, pancakes, potatoes, fresh fruit, and cottage cheese, there really was something for everyone.   The food was good,  and I have to admit that I kept staring at the bakery items in the case, debating with my inner demon about whether I should take some with me or not (the angel won out).  But next time, I'm pretty sure that little devil is going to get even......

AWESOME!

I passed by Howard's probably 100+ times before ever stopping in. Now I can't help but stop whenever I'm in King George.

I've never had a meal there, but the bakery treats are awesome. Get a blueberry scone. You'll be glad you did!

the breakfast buffet didn't look appetizing, but the food we ordered off the menu (breakfast) was good.  Not fabulous, but good food that came out EXACTLY the way it was ordered.  There's a lot to be said for that, no?
The bakery looked inviting but we were full from our breakfast and didn't try any of the sweet treats - though they were tempting.  THey had cinnamon buns, many varieties of scones, cheese danish that were begging to be eaten...
when we go back I'll save room for dessert!